EU’s Johannes Hahn hopes Georgians will travel visa-free this year
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The European Union's (EU) top enlargement official hopes citizens of Georgia, Ukraine and Kosovo will be able to travel without visas to the EU in 2016.
Johannes Hahn, the EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations believed the three countries deserved visa-free travel "because they have done their work" to achieve it.
Hahn talked about the visa liberalisation process of Georgia, Ukraine, Kosovo and Turkey in an exclusive interview with RFE/RL in Prague.
"Of course [at the end of the process] there is always a political assessment. But in terms of, so to say, meeting the standards and qualifying themselves, they have done what is necessary," he said.
Now it was up to the European Council and the European Parliament to approve visa waivers for the countries seeking visa liberalisation.
"I think there should be joint treatment for at least these three countries, maybe including Turkey," Hahn said.
He also said Turkey would not get an easier ride than Ukraine, Georgia or Kosovo in securing a liberalised visa regime with the EU.
"We are treating everybody equally," Hahn said. "This means we have applied the same methodology for Ukraine, Georgia, and also for Kosovo. And the same applies for Turkey."
However he added visa liberalisation depended on how quickly "our partner countries" will "move forward and comply with our requirements."
"In that respect there is no…discount for Turkey to get something cheaper than the others because it is about certain standards which have to be met," Hahn said.
He dismissed claims Turkey would be granted a visa waiver faster than the other three countries in exchange for Ankara's help in stemming the flow of refugees and migrants into Europe.
Georgia is the European Union’s (EU) key ally in the region, says European Parliament (EP) President Martin Schulz. The EP high official spoke highly of Georgia and of its EU visa-free aspirations while meeting Georgia’s Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili in Brussels, Belgium today.
The European Parliament has positively assessed Georgia’s progress towards visa liberalisation and supports Georgian citizens to travel to the Schengen area visa-free. This message was voiced at the committee meeting yesterday.
The foreign ministers of 12 European countries are calling for immediate cancellation of the EU visa regime for Georgia and Ukraine and allow these citizens to travel to the EU visa-free.
President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said the European Commission "fully and unconditionally” supported Georgian citizens to travel to the EU without a visa for a short stay.
We all agree that Georgia is the only country in the visa liberalisation waiting list that has fulfilled all the requirements.
Over four days Giorgi Margvelashvili will meet European Parliament President Martin Schulz, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and President of the European Council Donald Tusk.
The European Union (EU) Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy Johannes Hahn will visit Georgia on July 14-15 to attend the 13th Annual International Conference "Georgia's European Way" in coastal Batumi.
European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, is in Georgia and claims no later than October Georgia can obtain visa-free travel in the EU’s passport-free Schengen Zone.
The European Union will allocate €32 million to support reform implementation and democratic development in Georgia. The money will be spent to bring Georgia closer to EU standards.